Holidays are a time of celebration in Washington. You likely gave gifts to show others how much you care about them. You probably took time to choose a gift with care. It is unlikely that you ever think about buying a gift that could harm someone. However, every year, children suffer horrible injuries due to gifts that the buyer did not know was dangerous.
The most dangerous gifts to kids are often those you do not even give to children. If you have kids, then you know how curious they can be. If you get a gift that contains rare-earth magnets, STAT warns that you need to keep it away from small children.
The risk
Stores sell toys containing rare-earth magnets to adults with the intention that they will keep them away from children. They are rather intriguing and easily catch the eye of children who may see them as something to put in their mouths. When a child ingests two or more of these, they can become stuck together inside the body.
Magnets may clump up or clump around tissue, which can cause tissue death and serious health problems. Parents may not even realize that there is a medical situation until severe damage occurs.
Dangerous product
These toys are still on the market because a court decision voided a recall that ordered them off shelves in 2014. Once the court invalidated that recall, they returned to stores in 2016. There was no change in the products, no increase in the safety and no additional warnings added to packages. These toys are just as dangerous now as they were when the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued the original recall.
If you receive a rare-earth magnet toy, make sure to keep it away from kids. And anytime that you are giving gifts, make sure that you avoid giving this type of toy to anyone who has little ones.